U.S. Congressman Joe Barton will be honored as a “Privacy Hero” during the 2012 Summit’s “Celebration of Privacy” on the evening of June 6. The award recognizes Rep. Barton’s critical role as a top Congressional privacy advocate beginning with co-founding the Congressional Bipartisan Privacy Caucus with Rep. Edward Markey in 2000. His leadership ensured House support for the historic new consumer privacy and security protections in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

The opening keynote will be presented by Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, Ross Anderson, PhD, FRS, of the University of Cambridge, U.K., will deliver the evening keynote speech.

The 2012 Summit is hosted by Patient Privacy Rights and Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute on Global and Health Law to provide an international venue for serious discussion by experts and thought leaders on timely privacy issues. Participants will consider how patients’ privacy and civil rights are impacted by current law and regulations, health technologies and architectures (including mHealth and ‘clouds’), data exchange, secondary uses of health data, and social media platforms. The theme addressed at this year’s Summit will be: Is There an American Health Privacy Crisis?

More About U.S. Representative Joe Barton, R-Texas Rep. Joe Barton, a 28-year veteran member of the U.S. Congress and Chairman Emeritus of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee, will receive a “Privacy Hero” award at the 2012 Summit.

The award recognizes Rep. Barton’s critical role as a top Congressional privacy advocate beginning with co-founding the Congressional Bipartisan Privacy Caucus with Rep. Edward Markey in 2000. His award is for his leadership in 2009, which ensured House support for the historic new consumer privacy and security protections in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

More About Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM
As National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, is charged with promoting the development of a secure and interoperable nationwide health information technology infrastructure.

Dr. Mostashari’s position was mandated through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 and is focused on improving healthcare and clinical research, reducing its cost, and protecting patient health information. Previously, Dr. Mostashari held leadership positions at the New York City Department of Health, including establishing their Bureau of Epidemiology Services, and helped pioneer real-time electronic disease surveillance systems.

More About Ross Anderson PhD, FRSRoss Anderson PhD, FRS, is a professor of security engineering at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory in the United Kingdom. Dr. Anderson is a researcher, writer, industry consultant, and expert in “building systems to remain dependable in the face of malice, error or mischance.”

More About the 2012 Summit Partners
Organizations partnering with Patient Privacy Rights to present the 2012 Health Privacy Summit include:

Registration for the 2012 Summit is free, but space is limited. Register now at http://www.healthprivacysummit.org. Last year’s First International Summit on the Future of Health Privacy successfully established a global public forum on the future of health privacy. Panel members included health privacy experts from academia, industry, technology, consumer advocacy, top government officials, and international experts. Learn more about the 2011 Summit here. Videos are available.

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O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University was established in 2007 to respond to the need for innovative solutions to the most pressing national and international health concerns. For more information, visit http://www.law.georgetown.edu/oneillinstitute/about/index.html.

Patient Privacy Rights
Patient Privacy Rights is the nation’s leading bipartisan health privacy organization and leading consumer voice for building ethical, trustworthy healthcare IT systems. For more information, visit http://patientprivacyrights.org.